The Amazing Race: Unmarked Boundaries
by satellitestorm
Summary: Features characters from the Paper Mario Universe. Eleven teams will embark on a 12 leg journey through the great unknown for a million coins.
1. Introduction

Reading Guidelines: **Bold shows the setting and the team's status, **_Italics show the host's commentary_ and underline shows the racer's commentary directed at the camera, whether in a post leg interview or on site.

The camera flies overhead a castle, and a familiar one at that. The grey brick walls, the red tiled roof, the fluttering flags... although the years pass by and while the world around and in it constantly change, the exterior never does.

"This is Princess Peach's Castle," said Kooper as he walked out of the open front doors. He was a blue-shelled Koopa Troopa with a red neckerchief and wristbands, wearing a brown jacket in addition. "This iconic castle is the centrepiece of the Mushroom Kingdom, a kingdom known for its unique landscape, the titular Mushroom, and the long standing history involving the reigning monarch, Princess Peach."

Kooper stopped outside the castle front, and the camera zoomed out to reveal the entire castle in all its glory.

"It is here that 11 teams will embark on a race into the great unknown for a million coins."

The 11 pairs were jogging uphill on a dirt path leading to the castle's front gardens, which was the starting location for the race. As Kooper saw them approaching to gather around him, he began to announce the teams.

"The eleven teams are..."

**Koops and Koopley – Father and Son**

Koops and Koopley were trying to playfully race each other to their starting positions, in which Koopley won by an inch. Koops was a green shelled Koopa Troopa wearing a light blue jacket with a hoodie, navy colored pants and white shoes, and Koopley was a blue-shelled Koopa Troopa with bushy eyebrows and a beard, wearing a full blue tracksuit.

"I had a feeling that we'd be picked," said Koops, pondering to himself.

"Why wouldn't we?" laughed Koopley, patting Koops on the back. "We're the best Father/Son team in the world!"

"We can say that to ourselves, but we're going to prove it to the world," said Koops, trying to downplay Koopley's exaggeration. "With the strong parental bond we've developed over the years, we can overcome anything!"

"Well said, Mayor Koops!" Koopley clapped with his hands. "Petalburg is counting on us to represent them well!"

"And ourselves as well," continued Koops. "We'll be counting on ourselves so that we can represent ourselves well... does that even make sense?"

Koopley just laughed heartily, and Koops joined in as well.

**Sushie and Sashimie – Mother and Daughter**

Sushie and Sashimie hopped their way through the grass and stood alongside Koops and Koopley. Sushie was a purple Cheep Cheep with orange dorsal and tail fins. Sashimie was almost alike, only smaller, thinner, and had a silver locket around her neck.

"It's quite amazing how much each generation changes," said Sushie in amazement. "In the span of a couple of decades, you go from washboard to washing machine, tin can to smart phone..."

"Mother, you're beginning to ramble," Sashimie gently said to her mother.

"Whoops," said Sushie, putting her fin on her mouth. She began to apologize to the camera, and then whispered to Sashimie: "They can hear me through this doodad, right?"

Sashimie whispered 'yes' to Sushie, and after a cut, they resumed their pre-race testimony.

"We're in this race for the... experience, not necessarily the money," said Sashimie, under the watchful eye of Sushie.

"That's right! This is an experience that you can't put a price on!" firmly said Sushie.

"However, that doesn't mean we're not competent racers!" said Sashimie, her eyes alight with determination.

"This current generation is all about speed," said Sushie, her eyes also alight. "But I won't stand to be left behind!"

**Goombella and Frankly – Archeologists**

Goombella and Frankly slowed their jog to a dignified walk to their starting positions. Goombella was a pink Goomba with a blond ponytail, a red tie and a green-brown helmet with a headlight. Frankly was a brown Goomba with lighter brown tufts of hair, wearing a pair of blue swirly glasses.

"When you think of the term 'archeologist', you think of people who travel the world, looting ruins and running from boulders, amirite?" winked Goombella.

"That can't be further from the truth," Frankly stated, rather serious. "As archeologists, we seek for nothing but the truth of the past."

"So there you have it," said Goombella. "We're seekers of the truth! And the truth is that we're going to win this race! Is that right, Professor Frankly?"

"That's the future," Frankly nodded sadly. "We're archeologists, not clairvoyants."

"Whoops," said Goombella, looking away from the camera in embarrassment.

**Rowf and Ms. Mowz – Business Partners**

Rowf and Ms. Mowz continued jogging to the start without a stumble nor a sweat. Rowf was a Doogan wearing a pair of sunglasses and a thick black jacket with a lumberjack's jacket underneath. Ms. Mowz was a white Squeek wearing a red masquerade mask, with her tail curled in a heart shape.

"Ms. Mowz and I fatefully met at a crossroad," Rowf said, reminiscing. "Both of us were looking straight and sharp into each other's eyes, and professed our passion for..."

"Rowf!" Ms. Mowz scowled. "You're making it sound like we're dating! Which we aren't!"

"...Badge trading," Rowf continued on, unconcerned. Ms. Mowz just looked to the side, rather irritated.

"We're now initiating a business deal, but it's going to take some serious moolah to pull it off," explained Rowf.

"And that's when 'The Amazing Race' comes in," said Ms. Mowz, bouncing back from her irritation. "A million coins for the taking! Mmm-hmm-hmm!"

"Let's see..." said Rowf, consulting his calculator. "30 years of shared travel experience, add 100,000 miles of distance travelled, add 899970 steps travelled over the last year... carry the ones... makes a million! Coincidence?"

"Not at all," said Ms. Mowz, not really meaning it.

"Anyway," Rowf carried on, "We're more than capable of beating the other teams to claim the 1 EXP 6,"

"We'll steal them from right under their noses!" Ms. Mowz chuckled to herself.

**Herringway and Pennington – Detectives**

Herringway and Pennington waddled their way to their starting positions, with Pennington nearly tripping under his own feet. Herringway was a Cerulean Blue Bumpty with large white eyebrows, while Pennington was a light blue Bumpty, wearing a red bow and a newsboy hat.

"The name's Herringway," Herringway formally introduced himself.

"And my name's Pennington, The Penguin with The Improbably Large Brain," Pennington followed.

"I'm an acclaimed novelist specialising in permanent KO mysteries," said Herringway.

"But now we're full-time detectives," continued Penningtion. "Logical Deduction is coursing through our very veins!"

"With our expertise, we'll be able to unravel even the vaguest of clues," further continued Herringway.

"And with MY expertise, I'll be able to open up my own detective agency," Pennington cheerfully beamed.

"Under the assumption that we'll win," said Herringway under a smirk smile.

"Ah yes, of course..." Pennington said, embarrassed to be caught in his fantasy.

**Tayce T. and Zess T. - Cooks**

Tayce T. and Zess T. made a graceful entrance, their yellow aprons fluttering in the wind. Both of them were Yellow Toads, but they have their differences. In terms of demeanour, Tayce T. is considered 'sweet' while Zess. T is considered 'sour'.

"Mix together sweet Honey Syrup and a sour Lemon..." said Tayce T, mixing imaginary ingredients in an imaginary bowl. "And behold, a Tasty Tonic!"

"A Tasty Tonic? Bah!" dismissed Zess T., in a foul mood. "That's how you would describe ourselves?"

"But doesn't it suit us well?" questioned Tayce T. "It's the attributes of the ingredients that-"

"Attributes smattributes," Zess T. interrupted and scoffed. "Mix a Shroom Steak and a Healthy Salad and you get the legendary Zess Deluxe! A meal fitting for a team such as ourselves!"

"That could work," Tayce T. agreed half-heartedly.

"We're not here to cook for the little kiddies," said Zess T., still in a foul mood. "We came here for the retirement fund!"

"We'd be set for the rest of our lives with half a million each," said Tayce T. to herself. She then whispered to the camera: "But we mustn't forget, that money isn't everything."

**GG Jr. and King K. - Gladiators**

A Yoshi and a Koopa Troopa rushed energetically to meet in front of Kooper, nearly knocking over Zess T. The orange Yoshi had the alias 'Great Gonzales Jr.', while the light orange Koopa Troopa had the alias 'King K.'

"Wassup everyone, Double G and King K. are in the house!" cheered King K, raising his fists up into the air.

"Wooo!" shouted GG Jr. at the top of his lungs, thrusting his fists up in the air as well.

"A Champion and a Major Leaguer, best buds in the Glitz Pit," said King K, reminiscing. "We were really tearing it up, dog!"

"Which is exactly what we're gonna do in this race!" exclaimed GG Jr, punching his palm. "This 11 way free-for-all tournament's going down! And we'll claim the champion's belt at the finish line!"

"The prize is a million dollars," King K. corrected.

"I meant that figuratively, I think..." said GG Jr, hesitant. "I'm not good with thinking... and stuff!"

"Neither am I, homie," King K. clenched his teeth.

**Simon and Chanterelle – Musicians**

Simon and Chanterelle skipped merrily to the starting point, with Simon whistling a merry tune. Simon was a dark green Toad with a white mustache, wearing a violet coat with a white cravat, while Chanterelle was a violet Toad wearing a violet dress, long white gloves and a flower accessory.

"Amazing Race, how sweeeet the sound..." sang Chanterelle, beautifully.

"...That maaade, us twooo, a teeeeam..." sang Simon, trying to keep up with Chanterelle.

"...12 legs, one team, we shaaaare a dream..."

"Teamwork and looove, pristiiiine..."

"How was that?" Simon asked Chanterelle, rather satisfied with the performance.

"It's lovely," Chanterelle genuinely smiled. "But there's always room for improvement!"

Simon smiled back, blushing. "We've got 12 legs to fine tune our vocal chords and get inspiration for our next songs!"

"I simply can't wait," said Chanterelle, holding her hands together. "The world awaits for Master Poet and Pop Diva to make their debut!"

**Koopie Koo and Lakilulu – Best Friends**

Koopie Koo and Lakilulu ran over to their starting positions, making a friendly wave at Koopley and Koops. Koopie Koo was a green shelled Koopa Troopa with an orange pony tail, wearing pink casual wear while Lakilulu was a Lakitu with a pink cloud, also sporting an orange ponytail and pink casual wear.

"I'm Koops' boyfriend," said Koopie Koo, warningly at the camera. "And Lakilulu here is Spike's girlfriend. We're both taken!"

"Tough luck, guys!" said Lakilulu, waggling her finger.

"Fun fact," continued Koopie Koo, "We had a little trouble trying to describe our relationship for the tagline."

"Because 'Girlfriends' sounded really awkward, we had to settle with 'Best Friends'," added Lakilulu.

"And that's actually true," said Koopie Koo, "We've been BFF's for years!"

"For 'The Amazing Race', we've decided to go all out competitive," said a determined Lakilulu. "We're going to show our boyfriends that we aren't there to sit pretty."

"Soon everyone will witness the true form of Girl Power!" shouted Koopie Koo, raising her fist up high. A long period of silence fell afterward.

"That was incredibly awkward," Lakilulu whispered to Koopie Koo. Koopie Koo just shrugged.

**Mimi and Nastasia – Comrades**

Mimi gleefully trotted up to the start, while Nastasia met up with Mimi with a series of slow, solemn steps. Both of them were humanlike; Mimi had pigtails and a white dress, while Nastasia had her pink hair in a bun, wearing a white formal business suit.

"These last few years have been difficult; we were struggling to make ends meet," said Nastasia, in a serious manner.

"Natty, don't be so negative!" said Mimi. "It wasn't all that bad; we fought through it together!"

"You're right, Mimi. That's all behind us now. The past is the past."

"And now we get to run 'The Amazing Race', yippee!" exclaimed Mimi, bouncing in her seat.

"'The Amazing Race'..." Nastasia wondered to herself while adjusting her glasses. "I wonder what's in store for us..."

"I dunno, maybe there'll be parades and roller coasters and stuff!" Mimi said gleefully.

"We'll see soon enough," said Nastasia, still talking in a serious tone.

**Red and Green – Brothers**

Red and Green started off their entrance with ninja pose, and gave the camera a thumbs up. Simply put, Red was a red Ninjakoopa and Green was a green Ninjakoopa.

"What's the most manly colour in the entire universe, Red or Green?" asked Red to Green.

"Why green, of course," Green smugly said, folding his arms.

"You dolt!" Red angrily said, shoving him away to the side. Green reacted by shoving him back, to the point where they were shoulder shoving against each other and were told to stop.

"Anyway," said Red, "we're part of the Super Ultra Mighty Koopa Bros... the Great! We're here to take charge, kick butt, and take home the prize!"

"We've got the brains and the brawn," said Green, "but the jury's still out on Red's brains."

Red just looked away, anger burning in his eyes. Green just shrugged and said with a silly grin, "In short, we're going to win the race. Can we move on?"

* * *

The eleven teams had formed a semicircle around Kooper, all patiently waiting for him to begin the proceedings.

"Welcome to the Amazing Race!" said Kooper, and the teams began to cheer and applaud.

"In just a few minutes, you will be leaving familiar territory and travel thousands of miles into the great unknown."

"The first team the check into the pit stop for this leg of the race will receive an Express Pass, which allows you to skip any challenge of your choosing before the eighth leg of the race."

"Also, you will receive a second Express Pass that you can give to another team before the end of the fifth leg."

The teams began the chatter excitedly between each other.

"Behind you is your first challenge," said Kooper, who pointed out a wall with a lot of slots filled with coloured paper in them.

"On that wall are several hundred pamphlets, featuring different locations around the world. But there's one place that doesn't exist in any map."

"When I say go, you will run to the board, take a pamphlet, and show it to me. If it is the correct one, you can claim your bags and take one of the marked cars, in order to drive to the airport to claim your tickets to your next destination."

"However, the last team to complete the challenge will be penalized with a Hazard, which is a challenge which they will have to complete sometime in this leg of the race. And ultimately, the last team to check into the pit stop will be eliminated."

"Speed is the key for this leg of the race," stressed Kooper, raising his eyebrow. "I hope you keep that in mind."

After a brief pause and some worried looks, Kooper continued to speak.

"So let's get this race started!" he boomed, and everyone began to roar and applaud again.

"The world is waiting for you..." said Kooper, raising his right arm to signal the start of the race.

"Good luck..."

"Travel safe..."

"GO!"


	2. A Bad Case of Déjà Flu - Part 1

**Princess Peach's Castle, 8:00am**

The eleven teams scrambled down a small hill, heading towards the wall of pamphlets.

The wall was long enough to fit all 11 teams, so the teams began to claim their own section of the wall for themselves.

Everyone was frantically pulling up pamphlets and dropping them back into the slot, checking the name of the location that was always labelled at the front.

Rowf and Ms. Mowz began to throw some pamphlets onto the ground, sparking the curiosity of the other teams.

"We've decided to use the process of elimination," said Rowf, in a post leg interview.

"Toad Town, Rogueport, Dry Dry Desert... we knew about them, so we decided to throw them away," said Ms. Mowz, alongside Rowf.

"Now why didn't we think about that?" said Koopie Koo, slapping her forehead.

"That's an idea almost bordering on my genius!" praised Pennington.

A few seconds later, all of the teams sans Red and Green began to play copycat.

"We're not a bunch of sheep," scornfully said Red, continuing to inspect the pamphlets one by one.

"Let's continue doing our own thing," added Green. He grabbed a 'Koopa Bros. Fortress' pamphlet, grimaced a little bit and moved on.

"Not this one," said Sushie, and discarded the 'Gusty Gulch' pamphlet.

"Glitzville, lol nope!" laughed GG Jr.

"What about this one, Dad?" Koops asked Koopley about the 'Flipside' pamphlet.

"Definitely not Flipside," said Mimi, far away from the two Koopas.

"Into the pile it goes, Professor," said Goombella, handing her 'Decalburg' pamphlet to Frankly to discard it.

"I think this is it," Simon said to Chanterelle, and made a mad dash back to Kooper.

"No way..." said Green in disbelief. "They couldn't have gotten it that fast..."

Simon handed over the pamphlet to Kooper, which read 'Sarasaland'.

"I'm sorry, that's not the correct pamphlet," Kooper nodded from side-to-side.

"Well, that's one possiblity eliminated," said Simon, returning back to the wall with Chanterelle.

"We've already eliminated all the pamphlets except one, so this one must be it," said Ms. Mowz, holding the pamphlet in her paws.

"Let's give it a go," said Rowf, and the two showed Kooper their pamphlet.

"That's correct," Kooper nodded approvingly, and Rowf and Ms. Mowz jumped for joy.

"They got it," sighed Goombella. "How unexpected..."

As Rowf and Ms. Mowz ran over to grab their bags, Pennington carefully inspected Rowf's pamphlet with his magnifying glass.

**Rowf and Ms. Mowz – Currently in 1st Place**

"All right, first place!" cheerfully said Rowf, as they drove out of the castle gardens in their Dorf Brand car.

"Those Express Passes are good as ours!" said Ms. Mowz, in high spirits. "Mmm-hmm-hmm!"

* * *

**Princess Peach's Castle**

Back at the castle, 10 teams were still trying to find the correct pamphlet.

"Everyone!" announced Pennington, which garnered no attention. "Look for a silver pamphlet containing the letter 'V'!"

"This is just one of your detective tricks!" dismissed Lakilulu.

"It's true!" asserted Pennington.

Meanwhile, Tayce T. and Zess T. are down to two pamphlets, one blue and one silver.

"Did you hear that loon?" said Zess T. to Tayce T. "The silver one's the correct one!"

The cooks ran up to Kooper to deliver the silver pamphlet.

"That's correct," said Kooper, and the two quickly grabbed their bags and drove off.

**Tayce T. and Zess T. - Currently in 2****nd**** Place**

"Detective Blurts-A-Lot sure pulled through for us... not!" Zess T. heckled, roaring down the dirt path they were jogging up before.

"We were having an easy time anyway," Tayce T. giggled in the back seat."Imported ingredients really made us geographically savvy."

* * *

**Princess Peach's Castle**

"This is it," said Goombella to Frankly, trying to not bring up attention to themselves. Instead of immediately running to Kooper, they walked to Koops and Koopley, and showed them their pamphlet.

"Share the info with KKLL and the Glitz Glads," whispered Goombella to Koops. "I'll see you at the airport." Koops nodded in understanding, and the archaeologists made their way out.

**Goombella and Frankly - Currently in 3rd Place**

"There's something I want to discuss with them," said Goombella, driving the car down into Toad Town.

"Ah yes, about the wonders and breakthroughs of modern archaeology!" exclaimed Frankly.

"Not exactly, Professor..." Goombella sighed.

* * *

**Princess Peach's Castle**

Koops and Koopley kept to Goombella's word and disclosed the information with Koopie Koo/Lakilulu and GG Jr./King K. The three teams walked in a line and were subsequently approved. Herringway and Pennington followed a little behind, finishing their task independently from the others.

**Koops and Koopley - Currently in 4th Place**

"How awfully nice of Goombella to show us the solution," said Koops to Koopley, leaning forward from the back seat.

"That's the power of your charisma and connections!" laughed Koopley, half-jokingly.

**Koopie Koo and Lakilulu - Currently in 5th Place**

"Hi Koops!" Koopie Koo waved at Koops, who was sitting in the back seat of the car in front of theirs. Koops waved back with a cheerful grin.

"Man, it feels great to be running this race with my BF and BFF!" smiled Koopie Koo, clutching the steering wheel.

"You said it!" said Lakilulu in the back seat. "Too bad my BF couldn't come..."

**GG Jr. and King K. - Currently in 6th Place**

"The snatchers are right behind us," said King K, with the detectives in view of the rear view mirror.

"Pennington's clueless as always," GG Jr. grinned. "You don't just blurt out stuff to the other teams!"

"But what about Koops?"

"Well, he's an exception..." said GG Jr., turning his head away from the camera.

**Herringway and Pennington - Currently in 7th Place**

"Detective Pennington," warned Herringway, "A detective doesn't play his ace until absolutely necessary. Which is never in this case."

Pennington adjusted his shoulder strap bag, rather ashamed.

"Phooey," he muttered. "An Ace Detective like me needs to help the common man in need..."

* * *

**Princess Peach's Castle**

"If we don't get it soon," worried Sashimie, "we'll have to take the hazard penalty."

"For a Cheep Cheep that has lived on Lavalava island for almost her entire life, it ain't easy," remarked Sushie. "But we have to keep persevering."

"There's five silver pamphlets left, Mimi," said Nastasia. "But we can't verify their validity."

"Let's check the other team's pamphlets," Simon said to Chanterelle. "Our side turned up empty."

"This isn't working!" Red shouted in frustration, forcibly shoving a pamphlet into the slot, deforming it.

"Well, got any bright ideas?" Green retorted, noticeably frustrated as well.

"Yes, you shut your mouth!" Red fiercely argued back.

After a few minutes, two teams ran up to Kooper with their pamphlets within mere seconds of each other.

"Both of them are A-OK," said Kooper with two thumbs up. The teams grabbed their bags and made their way out of the front castle gardens.

**Mimi and Nastasia - Currently in 8th Place**

"If you first don't succeed..." said Nastasia, "try and try again."

"In this case, five times!" giggled Mimi, looking out the back window to wave at the other team behind them.

**Simon and Chanterelle - Currently in 9th Place**

"What a difficult challenge that was," Chanterelle said, relieved that it was over.

"There's still more to come, my darling," replied Simon. "It's like singing a soprano; we have to keep practising to hit the high notes."

* * *

**Princess Peach's Castle**

"Now it's just us and the Koopa Bros," sighed Sashimie, observing Red and Green.

"Stay positive, my daughter; there's one row of pamphlets left." gently said Sushie.

"I don't get it!" Red yelled, increasingly frustrated.

"Well, yelling about it isn't going to solve anything!" Green yelled back, ironically. "Let's just brute force it."

So Red and Green decided to show Kooper their pamphlets one by one, getting rejected each time.

"This blows," complained Green, after being rejected for the fifth time.

"We can't seem to eliminate any of these, even with Mr. Pennington's help," said Sashimie, puzzled at the last few remaining pamphlets in front of them.

"As rash as it is, we must employ brute force as a last resort," advised Sushie. "Let's run."

So the two teams were frantically scurrying back and forth, their fate resting on pure luck. After a few minutes later, the two teams were down to their last pamphlet.

"This is the last one!" panted Sashimie.

"Please, please, please! Let it be this one!" said Red, gripping the pamphlet very tightly.

Sushie/Sashimie and Red/Green were furiously running across the well flattened grass to meet up with Kooper. Sushie/Sashimie were about 5 metres away, with Red/Green on their tails. With a final sprint, Red/Green managed to cut ahead of them.

"Red and Green," said Kooper, deliberately pausing for effect. "This pamphlet is..."

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

"Not the correct one."

"WHAT!?" Red and Green shouted together at the same time. "INCONCEIVABLE!"

While Red and Green were still in shock, Sushie and Sashie moved them aside like cardboard cut-outs.

"Sushie and Sashimie," said Kooper, "That is the correct pamphlet, congratulations!"

"Finally!" said Sashimie, giving Sushie a hug. They entered their car with their bags, and drove off without a further hesitation.

"None of them... were correct?" said Red in disbelief instead of anger. "There must be some mistake..."

"Let's go back and double check everything," said Green, his head drooped.

So Red and Green trudged back to the wall of pamphlets, which was now empty, but had an unimaginable amount of paper litter scattered around it. They had no choice but to inspect every single one. After a long, painstaking inspection, Red and Green showed Kooper a fairly intact, silver pamphlet.

"That is the correct pamphlet," Kooper said with an uplifting smile, but Red and Green weren't able to return one back. Without a word, they made a lethargic pace to their car and exited the castle grounds.

"_As the last team to finish the task," commented Kooper, "Only Red and Green will have to complete the Hazard penalty, sometime during this leg of the race." _

**Red and Green - Currently in Last Place**

"It was in the discarded pile all along..." said Red, slumped in the back seat, without any energy to rage.

"Who's the idiot that threw that pamphlet away?" mumbled Green, pushing the throttle as hard as he could.

**Rowf and Ms. Mowz – Currently in 1st Place**

"You know what, Ms. Mowz?" said Rowf, as they were closing in on Toad Town Airport.

"There was an extra pamphlet on our section, so I threw it away along with the rejects!"

"That's really sneaky," said Ms. Mowz, impressed. "That'll really slow a team down."

"This is a race, after all." Rowf commented. "But it's not just any old race, because this is 'The Amazing Race'."

With a zoom out shot and a transition, the 'The Amazing Race: Unmarked Boundaries' intro began to play.

* * *

**Toad Town Airport, 10:30am**

Rowf and Ms. Mowz stopped their car at a parking spot closest to the entrance, and made their way inside the building. Directly in front of the entrance was a check-in counter was a red and yellow flag below the counter-top.

"Let's claim our tickets," Ms. Mowz said to Rowf, confirming on what they had to do. The two approached the receptionist and began requesting their tickets.

"Can we book two tickets to... that place?" Rowf asked the female Toad receptionist.

"Rowf!" scowled Ms. Mowz, "We already know the place, so why don't you refer to it by its real name?"

"Fine, two tickets to Velo City please," conceded Rolf.

Two tickets shot out of the machine, ready for Rowf to receive.

"You will fly via SlingStar Airways, departing at 3:00pm today and will arrive at 12:30pm the next day," the receptionist said, giving the tickets to Rowf.

**Rowf and Ms. Mowz - 1st on SlingStar Airways Flight**

"Cool, thanks a lot!" said Rolf to the receptionist as he left the counter.

"Looks like we have about 15,100 seconds of down time before the flight," said Rowf to Ms. Mowz as he was checking his watch.

"No doubt that all the teams are going to catch up to us," Ms. Mowz pondered.

"As if we needed that lead anyway," cockily said Rowf. "Now let's take a look around the airport."

Ms. Mowz nodded in agreement as they walked down the departure hall, passing underneath a mushroom shaped departures board that was constantly changing by the second.

**Tayce T. and Zess T. - Cooks**

"The airport is in sight," Tayce T. pointed out to Zess T.

Zess T. parked her car right near Rowf and Ms. Mowz's car, parking horizontally to take up two spaces.

"That's not a very considerate parking position," complained Tayce T.

"Don't tell the driver how to park!" grumbled Tayce T.

The two Toads entered the airport and went to the check-in counter to claim their tickets.

"Two tickets, Velo City, make it snappy!" Zess T. rudely said to the receptionist.

The receptionist handed over the tickets without an extra word. She pointed out the departure and arrival time on the boarding pass with her middle and pointer finger.

**Tayce T. and Zess T. - 2nd on SlingStar Airways Flight**

"Thank you very much," said Tayce T. on behalf of them.

"We're on the same flight as the business geeks," said Zess T. while riding the escalator to the next floor.

"So we'll be on even footing with them when we arrive at Velo City," said Tayce T., who was below Zess T.

"Good. The less lead they have, the better. They seem like a pain in the rump roast."

"They're definitely a formidable team," commented Tayce T.

* * *

**Goombella and Frankly – Archeologists**

"Here we are, 'Unknown Departures'," mentioned Goombella as they passed the sign stating such.

**Koops and Koopley – Father and Son**

"There's two other teams aside from Goombella and Frankly," said Koops.

**Koopie Koo and Lakilulu – Best Friends**

"Who's the car park hogger?" complained Koopie Koo, pointing at the car taking up two spaces.

"Probably Rowf," huffed Lakilulu.

**GG Jr. and King K. - Gladiators**

"Let's claim our tickets!" GG Jr. said to King K. as they unloaded their bags.

The four teams rushed toward the ticket counter, all rather clumped. Koops and Koopley had split away, running through the windy queue line when the other teams just directly approached the counter.

"Just wanted to do it the right way," said Koops with a silly smile. Nevertheless, it didn't affect their place, as they were allowed to be back in their original placing.

**Goombella and Frankly – 3rd on SlingStar Airways Flight**

**Koops and Koopley – 4th on SlingStar Airways Flight**

**Koopie Koo and Lakilulu – 5th on SlingStar Airways Flight**

**GG Jr. and King K. - 6th on SlingStar Airways Flight**

"The flight is now full," said the receptionist to GG Jr. and King K.

"We're all on the same flight, woohoo!" shouted GG Jr, jumping for joy.

"All flocked in the same coop!" remarked King K, giving GG Jr. a low high-five.

"Looks like the rest of the teams will have to take a different flight," said Lakilulu, adjusting her glasses.

"A **later** flight, hopefully..." wished Koopie Koo.

"By the way," said Goombella, "I have something to discuss with all of you."

"What is it, Goombella?" asked Koops.

"Here's not a great place to talk," she said with shifty eyes, "Why don't we all meet at the boarding lounge?"

"Seems good to me," nodded Koopley in agreement. "Let's go."

"I hope this isn't about 'The Wonders and Breakthroughs of Modern Archaeology'," said GG Jr. with an eye roll.

* * *

**1st Flight Boarding Gate**

"I'd like to form an alliance with all of you," said Goombella to everyone else while they all sat at the boarding lounge.

"What for?" questioned GG Jr, without any rude intentions.

"Helping each other for starters, and who should get the second Express Pass when one of us wins it."

"Oh yeah, the Express Passes!" realised Lakilulu. "They're really important prizes, but it somehow slipped my mind, haha."

"So the plan I'm proposing," Goombella continued, "is that whoever in our alliance comes first after the winner gets the second Express Pass."

The teams sans Goombella and Frankly began to chatter among each other, with all of them giving approving looks.

"It's a great plan," nodded Koopley. "Everyone gets a fair shot at the Express Passes."

"Ditto!" chimed in King K. "Ain't no dispute of a plan like that!"

The teams gave Goombella and Frankly the A-OK on her proposition.

"Their decision is unaminous," said Frankly to Goombella. "Everyone's supporting your alliance!"

Goombella gave everyone back a bright smile, with the tiniest hint of a tear in the corner of her eye.

"Thanks everyone, you're the best!" she beamed, and everyone began to briefly cheer.

"So let's get this alliance started!" continued Goombella. "Mayor Koops, would you do the honours?"

"Me?" replied Koops, pointing to himself. Goombella gave a smile and nod, and he replied with a confident 'Sure!'

Koops stretched out his hand in front of him, and everyone gathered in a circle to put their hands on Koops'. Goombella and Frankly tried to join in as best as they could (considering they have no hands).

"To the new Millennium Alliance!" Koops shouted.

"To the new Millennium Alliance!"the 8 racers shouted, lifting their arms high into the air.

"Koops' initiation was brilliant," said Koopie Koo, her eyes gleaming with awe. "He looked so confident when he proclaimed to the world our alliance!"

"He's definitely changed over the years," Lakilulu commented.

"Now I'm afraid I can't baby him any more..." sighed Koopie Koo.

* * *

**Toad Town Airport – Departure Hall**

"Your will fly via P-Wing Airlines, arriving at your destination at 1:00pm the next day," the receptionist said to a team offscreen.

"Many thanks, miss," said Pennington, putting away the tickets in his shoulder sling bag.

**Herringway and Pennington - 1st on P-Wing Airlines Flight**

"We're in 7th Place, so there's a high probability that we're on a later flight compared to the teams ahead of us," Herringway deduced.

"What lead you to that conclusion?" asked Pennington.

"Call it a racer's intuition," replied Herringway, placing his flipper on his forehead.

Within a few cuts, the four remaining teams received their tickets and gave the receptionist their thanks.

**Mimi and Nastasia – 2nd on P-Wing Airlines Flight**

**Simon and Chanterelle – 3rd on P-Wing Airlines Flight**

**Sushie and Sashimie – 4th on P-Wing Airlines Flight**

**Red and Green – Last on P-Wing Airlines Flight**

**1st Flight Boarding Gate – Flight Departing at 3:00pm**

The airport staff began to announce the opening of the boarding gate, causing the passengers began to line up to get their boarding passes checked.

"Looks like there's a bunch of teams behind us," said Rowf to the camera while he was waiting in line. "It looks like they've formed an alliance."

"They know each other very well, so it's natural," said Ms. Mowz. "What they're missing in that little party is me."

"Don't tell me that you want in on their alliance!" Rowf said in shock.

"Of course not!" replied Ms. Mowz. "Goombella's in it; there's no way she'd let me in under any circumstances."

"I'm not letting that floozy into our alliance under any circumstances!" angrily said Goombella. "She'll just back stab everyone... in the back!"

"The real race starts the moment we set foot on the tarmac," said Koopie Koo. "We need to race as hard as we can to claim the Express Passes for the Millennium Alliance."

"The Express Passes are for authorised personnel only!" grumbled Zess T. "All non-cooks must stay out of the kitchen!"

"Let's get ready to rumble, King K!" said GG Jr. to his partner, filled to the brim with determination.

"A new adventure awaits us, Koops," Koopley said to his son. "Is your body ready?"

After all the passengers have seated themselves on the plane, the plane fired up its engines, roared across the runway, and soared into the afternoon sky.

* * *

**2nd Flight Boarding Gate - Flight Departing at 3:30pm**

"After examining the Departures Board, we're 30 minutes behind the other teams," pessimistically said Nastasia, while waiting in line.

"We can easily close the gap, if we keep persevering!" optimistically said Sushie.

"My vocal chords are shaking like a tremor," shuddered Chanterelle, her hand placed below her head.

"Don't you worry, my darling Chanterelle," comforted Simon, gently lowering her hand down. "Some breathing exercises will remedy your troubles."

"We'll destroy the competition, just you wait..." muttered Red and Green, their voices almost inaudible for the microphone to pick up.

"This is like turning to a new page of a novel," said Herringway, looking outside the window from his seat in the aircraft.

"The perplexing Velo City, and this mysterious Great Unknown..." pondered Pennington, in a thinking pose. "What will be in store for us?"

"Only one way to find out!" said Mimi, subjected to clever editing.

The aircraft revved up its engines, blasted through the runway, and disappeared as a blip in the sky.

To be continued...


	3. A Bad Case of Déjà Flu - Part 2

"_All teams are now headed to Velo City," commentated Kooper as the two planes cruised through the night sky._

"_The 1st Flight is scheduled to arrive at 12:30pm, with Rowf and Ms. Mowz, Tayce T. and Zess T., Goombella and Frankly, Koops and Koopley, Koopie Koo and Lakilulu and GG Jr. and King K. on board."_

"_The 2nd Flight is scheduled to arrive 30 minutes after, with Herringway and Pennington, Mimi and Nastasia, Simon and Chanterelle, Sushie and Sashimie, and Red and Green on board."_

**Velo City **

The camera flies overhead the city, the city filled with many buildings sporting a clean, modern look with lots of glass in its architecture. The 40 million residents crowded every street and building, consistently pushing Monorails, Subway Trains, Buses and Cars to their maximum capacity. Yet with all the vehicles, not a layer of smog covers the city, thanks to the high proportion of foliage and strict implemented regulations.

**Velo City Airport - 1st Flight**

The aircraft landed smoothly on the runway, and the six teams began to scramble down the exit stairway and into the airport. At the end of a very long hallway with arrival gates, stood a clue box marked with red and yellow flag.

"There's the clue box!" pointed Ms. Mowz.

All the teams began to scramble towards the box, jostling through the densely packed crowd in the hallway.

"Make way, make way!" shouted Rowf, waving his arms around, trying to part the crowd.

"Excuse us, everyone!" politely said Tayce T. to the crowd.

"Don't take the travelator, Dad!" Koops called to his father.

"Give us some space!" said Koopie Koo, leaping into every unoccupied space she could find.

Rowf and Ms. Mowz got to the clue box at the end of the hallway, with Koopie Koo and Lakilulu just a few meters behind. Ms. Mowz lifted the box flap, grabbed the clue, and ripped it open.

**Rowf and Ms. Mowz - Currently in 1st Place**

"Make your way to the Kinetic Crossroads," read out Rowf and Ms. Mowz in unison.

"_Teams must make their way to the Kinetic Crossroads, the busiest intersection in terms of foot traffic in Velo City. Whey they get there, they must find a business man wearing race colours that will give them their next clue."_

"Let's go call a cab," said Rowf to Ms. Mowz as they headed for the exit.

**Koopie Koo and Lakilulu - Currently in 2nd Place**

"Let's chase after them!" said Koopie Koo to Lakilulu.

"Hold on Koopie, there's more to read in the clue!" responded Lakilulu, pointing at the clue.

"We'll read it in the taxi," said Koopie Koo, dragging Lakilulu by the bag strap. "We need to keep as close to them as possible."

**Koops and Koopley - Currently in 3rd Place**

"I think Koopie's catching a cab," observed Koops. "Let's do so as well."

**GG Jr. and King K. - Currently in 4th Place**

"Want to wait for the Arkies?" King K. asked GG. Jr.

"Nah, we need all the time we can get!" replied GG Jr, and they decided to run after Koops and Koopley.

**Goombella and Frankly - Currently in 5th Place**

"Everyone's heading off to hail a taxi," said Goombella, putting the clue away.

"Why don't we take the subway train instead?" Frankly suggested, pointing to a sign directing them to the subway station. "Factoring in the population and predicted traffic, a taxi will be an undesirable option."

"Good reasoning Professor," nodded Goombella. "But there are too many unknown factors. The frequency of departures, the proximity of the stop to our destination..."

Goombella was about to continue rambling until she saw Tayce T. and Zess T. running past them, heading for the taxi terminal.

"Conclusion, we need to take a taxi!" panicked Goombella, trying to catch up with the cooks. Frankly just shrugged and ran behind her.

**Velo City Taxi Terminal**

**Rowf and Ms. Mowz – Business Partners**

"Taxi!" Rowf called out, whistling with two fingers. The taxi pulled over next to them, ready for service.

"Take us to Kinetic Crossroads," said Ms. Mowz, pointing at the clue. The taxi driver nodded in understanding.

"Great!" said Rowf, as the two placed their bags in the trunk, entered into the taxi and buckled up, leaving the taxi to drive off.

"Man, it feels great to be first team out of there," happily said Rowf.

**Koopie Koo and Lakilulu – Best Friends**

"Kinetic Crossroads?" Lakilulu questioned a taxi driver. The taxi driver signalled for them to get into the cab.

"Luckily we're not too far behind them," said Koopie Koo, her eyes on Rowf and Ms. Mowz's taxi a short distance ahead of them.

**Koops and Koopley – Father and Son **

With a slam of two back doors, Koops and Koopley made their way out of the airport in their taxi.

"Kinetic Crossroads, here we come!" said Koopley, filled with excitement.

**GG Jr. and King K. - Gladiators**

"Taxi!" GG Jr and King K. called out, waving their arms. As soon as the taxi arrived, they jumped into the taxi as quickly as they could.

"To Kinetic Crossroads, and fast!" GG Jr. pointing in the direction ahead of him.

**Tayce T. and Zess T. - Cooks**

"There's a taxi," pointed out Tayce T. as a taxi entered the terminal.

**Goombella and Frankly – Archeologists**

"Let's grab it before they do!" exclaimed Goombella, and the two teams raced toward the taxi. It parked itself in the middle of the terminal, equidistant between both teams, so it ended up in a tie.

"After you," blurted out Tayce T. without thinking.

"Well, thanks!" said Goombella, claiming the taxi and driving off in it.

"You goodie-two-shoes pansy!" Zess T. insulted Tayce T. "This is a race! You can't afford to be nice!"

"I like to be nice," replied Tayce T., with a rather gleeful (yet creepy) smile.

* * *

**Velo City**

**Rowf and Ms. Mowz – Business Partners**

"Velo City's quite a city alright," Rowf said in awe, looking at the intertwining freeways and monorail tracks around him.

"I've visited a lot of cities in my travels," said Rowf in a post leg interview. "Shiver City, Mushroom City, Block City..."

"But we've never seen a city so developed like this," Ms. Mowz cut in. "Skyscrapers and freeways everywhere, all stacked up high like pancakes!"

**Koopie Koo and Lakilulu – Best Friends**

"This city is amazingly huge!" exclaimed Lakilulu, putting her hands on the window and looking outside.

"It's like a 1000 times larger than Toad Town, maybe more than that..." said Koopie Koo.

**Koops and Koopley – Father and Son **

"Someday, Petalburg will grow to be even bigger than this city!" Koopley said to Koops.

"And I'm guessing its all because of my brilliant mayoral influence?" Koops joked.

"How you'd know?" Koopley faked his surprise.

**GG Jr. and King K. - Gladiators**

"It's like we've funked into the future or somethin'," King K. commented.

"Bring on the flying cars!" said GG Jr. excitedly, with a fist raised up high.

**Goombella and Frankly – Archeologists **

"It's like an urban utopia..." said Goombella, fascinated by the scenery.

"This warrants future research," said Frankly, jotting notes on his notepad.

**Tayce T. and Zess T. - Cooks **

"These freeways are all twisted like a pretzel," said Tayce T. "And I meant that as a compliment."

"All these twisty freeways nauseate me," grumbled Zess T. "As nauseating as Rogueport. But it's clean, I'll give it that."

**Koopie Koo and Lakilulu – Best Friends**

"By the way Lulu," said Koopie Koo to Lakilulu, "You said that there was more to read in our clue?"

"That's right Koopie. We should go and read it now; it could be important."

Koopie Koo took out the clue envelope from her fanny pack and examining its contents. There was the 'Route Info' telling them to get to Kinetic Crossroads, but there was paper sheet underneath attached by a staple.

"Warning! You are under a time limit for this leg of the race!" Koopie Koo read out.

"_For this leg of the race," said Kooper,"All teams all subjected to a time limit. They must check in to the pit stop before 5:00pm or they will be penalized."_

"So that's why he said speed was key," Lakilulu realised.

"So much for the casual sightseeing," sighed Koopie Koo. "We need to get to the crossroads as fast as we can!"

Suddenly, the taxi suddenly stopped to a halt.

"What happened?" said Koopie Koo in surprise. "Did we get a flat tyre?"

"No, but we've got something worse," said Lakilulu, as the camera zoomed out to a traffic jam extending for at least a kilometre.

"This is going to be agonizing," Koopie Koo moaned, pushing her head on the back of the driver's seat.

* * *

**Velo City Airport - 2nd Flight (1:00pm)**

From aircraft to tarmac to arrival hallway, five teams began to scramble towards the clue box while dodging the endless stream of travellers.

"Make haste, Detective Pennington!" called out Herringway to Pennington behind him.

"Get out of the way!" shouted Red and Green, pushing and shoving travellers to clear a path.

"Amazing Racers, coming through!" said Mimi, deftly swerving around the travellers.

All the teams arrived at the clue box at around the same time, almost crashing into each other. After they ripped open the envelopes, the first member of each team began reading their clue.

**Herringway and Pennington - Currently in 7th Place**

"Make your way..."

**Red and Green – Currently in 8th Place **

"To the Kinetic Crossroads,"

**Mimi and Nastasia - Currently in 9th Place**

"Warning! You are under a time limit for this leg of the race."

**Simon and Chanterelle – Currently in 10th Place**

"You must check into the pit stop..."

**Sushie and Sashimie – Currently in Last Place**

"...before 5:00pm or you will be penalised!"

"Shoot, we have less than four hours left!" panicked Red.

"Let's grab a taxi!" suggested Green, pointing in the direction of the taxi terminal.

"After the Koopa Bros.!" Sashimie and Sushie pointed and chased after them, leading Simon/Chanterelle and Herringway/Pennington along with the chase.

"Let's take the subway train," said Nastasia, pointing to the same sign Frankly was pointing to.

"Good idea, Natty!" Mimi approved. "I have complete faith in your judgement, hee hee!"

**Velo City Taxi Terminal **

"Taxi!" Red yelled at the top of his voice. Whether it was his loud obnoxious yelling or not, three taxis arrived at the terminal.

Red and Green claimed the first and closest taxi, while Sushie and Sashimie claimed the second. The third one however, was yet to be claimed by either the Musicians or the Detectives.

"It's all down to a footrace!" said Herringway, making a beeline for the cab.

"Simon, I'm afraid we're falling behind!" panted Chanterelle, lifting her dress up so she could run.

**Velo City Airport – Subway Station**

"How do we get to Kinetic Crossroads?" Nastasia asked at the ticket booth.

"That's an actual stop," replied a receptionist. "The next train will depart in 5 minutes."

"We can make it," said Nastasia, handing over the fare money. "Two tickets, please."

After a cut, Mimi and Nastasia were quickly descending down the stairs to the train platform.

"Watch your footing Mimi," advised Nastasia from the bottom of the stairs, waiting for Mimi to catch up.

"Urk! It was NOT a good idea to wear high heels," regretted Mimi. "But they look so stylish on me, so I take that back!"

**Velo City Taxi Terminal **

The three taxis subsequently drove out of the airport, leaving a team behind.

"How unfortunate," a team member panted offscreen.

"Yes, it was unfortunate that I dropped my magnifying glass!" Pennington complained, inspecting said object for cracks.

"There doesn't seem to be any more taxis for the time being," said Herringway, observing the empty stretch of road in front of him.

"In that case, let's take the subway train then," said Pennington. "If my deductions are correct, Ms. Mimic Ms. Nasty Asia have already done so."

**Velo City Airport – Subway Station**

Mimi and Nastasia boarded the subway train, which was absolutely crowded with passengers. They were lucky to find two unoccupied handgrips beside each other.

"It's awfully cramped in here," said Mimi, stuck between two Hammer Bros. "The sooner we get out there, the better!"

"Hmm, are there any teams other than ourselves?" Nastasia wondered.

Meanwhile, Herringway and Pennington rushed down the staircase, each holding a train ticket in their flippers.

"We still have time!" said Herringway to Pennington. "And put that magnifying glass away!"

As the Detectives were literally centimetres from the train, the doors shut in front of them, nearly closing onto Herringway's beak. The subway train swiftly departed from the station, leaving the detectives behind.

"Bother! Left behind again!" Pennington shouted in frustration.

* * *

**Velo City **

**Red and Green – Brothers **

"The city's pretty rad," said Green, sightseeing from the taxi window.

"Enjoy it while you can..." said Red, folding his arms in a serious mood.

**Simon and Chanterelle – Musicians**

Simon and Chanterelle were singing a snippet of a song in turns, starting with Simon.

"Cruising through Velo City, I want to..."

"Escape the plains and country for..."

"Where the buildings pass me..."

**Sushie and Sashimie – Mother and Daughter**

"As a city slicker, this city gets a gold star for high standards!" Sashimie cheerfully said. "No smog, no litter, and best of all, no traffic!"

The camera cuts to Koopie Koo with a double facepalm, her taxi surrounded in a sea of traffic.

* * *

**Kinetic Crossroads **

**Rowf and Ms. Mowz - Currently in 1st Place**

"This must be the Kinetic Crossroads," Rowf pointed at a large intersection jammed with foot traffic. The taxi wasn't allow to enter the crossroads due to the 'no entry' sign, so Rowf and Ms. Mowz had to make their way on foot.

"The clue says to find a guy wearing race colours, right?" Rowf asked Ms. Mowz.

"Yep, its red and yellow," Ms. Mowz answered.

"Should be a snap," Rowf said, snapping his fingers. "Let's get to looking."

**Koopie Koo and Lakilulu - Currently in 2nd Place**

"Finally, we're out of that blasted traffic jam!" Koopie Koo said cheerfully as their taxi stopped next to Rowf and Ms. Mowz's.

"Oh boy, here comes the Millennium Alliance..." Rowf said condescendingly as Koopie Koo and Lakilulu entered the crossroads.

"Bleh," said Ms. Mowz, opening her mouth and sticking out her tongue.

"Remember Koopie, it's red and yellow," Lakilulu discussed to her, not noticing Rowf and Ms. Mowz at all.

"Got it, let's go," Koopie Koo nodded, entering into the crowd like a patch of tall grass.

**Koops and Koopley - Currently in 3rd Place**

Koops and Koopley were making their way down a sloped road that lead to the crossroads.

"I can't see Koopie or Laki," said Koops, searching the crowd with his hand to his forehead.

"Me neither," said Koopley, standing on his tiptoes. "We can look for them while we look for our clue."

**GG Jr. and King K. - Currently in 4th Place **

GG. Jr and King K. walked to the crossroads from the south side, passing by a subway train station.

"Place's as packed as the Champ Title Match," commented King K., clumsily making his way through the crowd.

**Goombella and Frankly - Currently in 5th Place**

Goombella and Frankly approached the intersection from the east side.

"From car traffic to foot traffic... not much of a change really." sighed Goombella.

**Tayce T. and Zess T. - Currently in 6th Place**

Tayce T. and Zess T. were shuffling across the subway train station wall, trying not to get trampled by the herd of people.

"Watch where you're looking!" yelled Zess T. to someone, whom accidentally bumped her with his/her handbag.

The six teams continued to search for the man wearing red and yellow among several thousand other people.

"The number of people there was beyond ridiculous," Koops said in a post leg interview.

"There was literally no space between everyone," said Koopie Koo. "Everywhere you walk, you always bump into someone else."

"Reminds me of that time at the lobby after I won that Champ Title Match," GG Jr. fondly remembered.

"Hmm, I'd compare it to a cake completely covered in sprinkles," said Tayce T.

"There he is," Koopie Koo said to Lakilulu, pointing to a man with a full business suit, with gaudy red and yellow stripes from the neck down.

"Yipes!" gasped Lakilulu. "With a suit like that, how didn't we find him right away?"

Koopie Koo and Lakilulu approached the man in red and yellow, who gave them their next clue that was nestled under the suit, near the tie.

"Thank you, sir!" said the two, and then they began to rip open the envelope.

"It's a Detour," informed Koopie Koo.

"_With a staggering population of 40 million, Velo City is twice the size of the most populated city on Earth," commentated Kooper, walking in the crossroads at a different time._

"_Now teams must participate in one of two activities involving the many inhabitants of Velo City. Their choice: Tally or Rally."_

"_In Tally, teams must head north of the crossroads to the Velo City Bus Station. Playing the role as a ticket checker, they must find the total fare out of a group of 100 people. When the team gives the supervisor the correct total, they will receive their next clue."_

"_In Rally, teams must head east of the crossroads to Terminal Park, where they will take and lead 40 people one kilometre up the road to Vector Park. When all 40 people have arrived at the park, they will receive their next clue."_

"We're going to do Rally," said Koopie Koo to Lakilulu.

"Mr. Gaudy is still here," said Lakilulu, pointing at the man who handed them their clue. "I'll go and tell the alliance where he is."

Before Koopie Koo could say anything, Lakilulu floated above the crowd upon her cloud and shouted as loud as she could against the crowd chatter.

"He's right here, you guys!"

Every team, whether allied or not, began to make their way towards her. The business man was indeed near her, as she said.

"You didn't to alert every single team," said Koopie Koo, a little aggravated.

"Sorry, it's faster that way," Lakilulu apologised.

As the teams received their clues, ripped open their envelopes and read the Detour within, Koopie Koo called out to her allies.

"To all members of the Millennium Alliance! We're all going to do Rally!"

**Koops and Koopley - Father and Son**

"Well, we know what we're choosing!" said Koopley, making a stride towards the east crossroad exit with Koops.

**GG Jr. and King K. - Gladiators**

"Rally already sounds up our alley, so let's shake a leg!" exclaimed King K.

**Goombella and Frankly – Archeologists**

"Now where's east again?" said Frankly, looking around in confusion. "With this population density, things get disorienting."

As the Millennium Alliance left the crossroads, Rowf/Ms Mowz and Tayce T./Zess T. were left to decide their course of action.

**Rowf and Ms. Mowz – Business Partners**

"Counting up money?" said Rowf in disbelief. "The Express Passes are just screaming to be taken. We're doing Tally!"

**Tayce T. and Zess T. - Cooks **

"I don't want to hang around with those ragtag rogues," grumbled Zess T, referring to the Millennium Alliance. "We'll go with Tally."

As all the 1st Flight teams left Kinetic Crossroads, the train station clock began to point to half past one.

* * *

**Terminal Park (Rally)**

Terminal Park was a park with a tower centerpiece, where children began to drop toy parachuting skydivers from the top of the tower. Apart from the children, there were 440 people, standing in a circle around the tower in 11 groups of 40. They were all waiting to be escorted to Vector Park.

**Koopie Koo and Lakilulu – Best Friends**

"Hey everyone! We're in the Amazing Race!" Koopie Koo and Lakilulu shouted to everyone in the park.

The groups began to shout loudly back with excitement and energy.

"We seem to have a warm reception!" said Lakilulu, holding her hands with joy.

"More like blazing hot," said Koopie Koo with a smile. "As blazing hot as ourselves."

Koopie Koo and Lakilulu chose the group that was clothed in pink, each holding a pink flag in their hands. Afterwards, the group made their out of the park and into the street that connects to the east side of the crossroads, known as Accel Avenue.

"Everyone stick together!" Lakilulu called out to her group (Pink Team) as they meandered through the congested street full of foot traffic.

**Koops and Koopley - Father and Son**

"Behold, your Supreme Leader of Escortment!" announced Koopley to the Blue Team (in regards to Koops, of course.)

**GG Jr. and King K. - Gladiators**

"I choose you!" GG Jr. pointed to the Orange Team. "No reference or title quoting intended!"

**Goombella and Frankly – Archeologists**

"Ready for an expedition, Team Brown?" exclaimed Goombella, mustering up as much excitement as she could from the group.

**Accel Avenue (Rally)**

The four teams were now on Accel Avenue, a street that runs along a beach and goes up a hill with a gradual incline. Koopie Koo and Lakilulu were reasonably ahead of the other three teams, whom were closely bunched together.

"Remember the Buddy system!" Koops called out from the front to Team Blue. Every member were holding hands in pairs.

"In the case of an emergency, yell 'Great Gonzales Jr. Forever!'" yelled out GG Jr. to Team Orange.

"5 by 8 Phalanx Position, assemble!" said Goombella, leading Team Brown. They were arranged in a rectangle formation.

"The road to Vector Park was straightforward," commented Koopie Koo in a post leg interview.

"But the real challenge was the foot traffic, much like when we were at the crossroads." said Koopley.

"After a little tap of the noggin', we all dreamed up a scheme to plug the leak," said King K.

"But no matter what we do, it'll never resolve the root problem," said Frankly.

"I can't believe people have the nerve of walking through our group. Talk about rude and disruptive!" angrily said Goombella.

"We're making good progress," cheerfully said Koopley, as the group walked into a pocket of empty space. "This Detour will be over before we know it."

* * *

**Velo City Bus Station (Tally)**

**Rowf and Ms. Mowz – Business Partners**

"Here's our designated workstation," said Ms. Mowz, pointing to the red and yellow marker placed on said workstation.

**Tayce T. and Zess T. - Cooks **

"We'll take the one next to the business geeks," said Zess T, pointing to the adjacent workstation.

The two teams sat at their workstation on their swivel chairs, familiarizing themselves with their working space.

"Our workspace consisted of two ticket scanners, each side fitted with a desk with a monitor," said Rowf in a post leg interview.

The bus station staff began to direct the ticket holders to both of the team's workstations.

"The task was to count the total fare from a group of 100 people." Tayce T. continued the commentary.

After 100 people were accounted for both teams, the bus station staff began to open the workstations by taking away a chain that read 'Closed' in the middle.

"There were two types of bus tickets, one for adults and one for children," said Ms. Mowz.

There were four ticket scanners, so 4 lines of people were formed in front of them.

"The type was always printed on the bottom right of the ticket, as per the samples," said Rowf, as the camera pointed to the sample tickets taped to the desk.

The people began to insert their tickets into the scanner, walked through the turnstile and received their tickets back from the scanner when they made it through.

"As the people insert their tickets, the tickets pop up on our monitor, so that we could check what type they were," said Ms. Mowz.

"To get the total fare, we need to count the number of adults and children and multiply by their respective fare," said Rowf.

"The adult fare is 7 coins, and the child fare is 3 coins." said Tayce T.

"The annoying thing is, each team member has to keep count of how many adults and children they have on their side." said Zess T.

"Rule number uno of business; always bring a notepad!" said Rowf, writing on his notepad while looking at the monitor at the same time. He had split his page into two columns, making a mark for each adult or child that passed by.

"Couldn't agree more," nodded Ms. Mowz, doing the same thing as Rowf.

"Cooks don't use notepads, they use recipe books!" said Zess T, writing on page ripped out from her cookbook.

"The tickets are flashing by so fast, it's making my head spin," Tayce T. said in a daze.

* * *

**Velo City Subway Station - Kinetic Crossroads Stop**

A subway train began to stop at the station, allowing Mimi and Nastasia to get off and make their way to the crossroads.

"Guess there's no escaping the crowd," said Mimi, gasping for air after being squashed in the subway train for too long.

"That's one thing this city needs to improve on," said Nastasia while reading her clue.

"I want the kind of crowds to swoon over me while I pose for a fashion shoot!" said Mimi, making some cute poses.

"Resuming business, let's go and find the businessman, K?" Nastasia said, looking all around her.

"All right, Natty. But I still want to pose while we're at it."

After a cut, Mimi pointed at the businessman, who was still wearing the red and yellow striped suit.

"Yikes! Talk about gaudy!" said Mimi, covering her eyes.

After Nastasia received the clue from the businessman, Mimi was still shielding her eyes, blinded by bi-color.

**Mimi and Nastasia - Currently in 7th Place**

"We're going to do Tally," Nastasia said to the camera on site.

"Is he gone yet?" questioned Mimi, her eyes still covered.

"That's right, he's not in sight," said Nastasia as she guided Mimi north of the crossroads.

"Talk about tacky," said Mimi, rather repulsed. "I'll be sure to discuss his future wardrobe selection the next time I meet him."

* * *

**Velo City Bus Station (Tally)**

"Look, there's a team from the second flight!" said Tayce T., pointing to Mimi and Nastasia as they showed up at the bus station.

"Hey, get back to work!" Zess T. scolded Tayce T.

Tayce T. had lost her concentration from that, and failed to check the previous passenger's pass.

"Was that an adult or child that passed by?" she questioned to herself, letting by another passenger unchecked.

Zess T. just let out a very heavy sigh.

(###)

"Looks like we've caught up to the 1st Flight teams," said Mimi in delight, hopping over the chain with the 'Closed' plate.

"Obtaining the Express Pass just became a lot more probable," optimistically said Nastasia.

"So let's get to work, then!" exclaimed Mimi, spinning around in her swivel chair.

"Not so fast, Mimi," interceded Nastasia. "There's something we need to discuss before we start..."

(###)

"That's the last one," said Rowf, dusting off his hands. "Time to count up the figures."

After adding all the pencil streaks in each column, Rowf began to discuss his figures with Ms. Mowz, who finished about the same time as him.

"I got 39 adults and 15 children," said Rowf.

"33 adults and 13 children for me," replied Ms. Mowz.

"That adds up to 100, so that a good sign." Rowf nodded with approval. "Now let's calculate the fare."

(###)

Meanwhile, the Cooks were discussing their figures as well.

"40 adults and 16 children," stated Zess T.

"35 adults and 9 children... I think." said Tayce T., unconfident.

"You think?" questioned Zess T, disgruntled. "That's not a good sign."

"We'll see if it's correct or not when we total up the fare."

"Fine. But if it's wrong, you'll be on dishwashing duty at the pit stop!"

"Dish washing is always fun," replied Tayce T. with that gleeful smile she had on earlier.

(###)

"My total is 588 coins," Rowf said to Ms. Mowz, holding his calculator up high.

"Hold on, I need to double-check," replied Ms. Mowz, scribbling on her notepad. "28 by 10 plus 44 by 7 makes... 588!"

"Perfect, let's submit our answer."

Rowf and Ms. Mowz left the workstation to show their answer to the Toad supervisor, who was located in his office. The supervisor compared their figure with his own, and gave a nod of approval.

"It's correct," said the supervisor, handing Rowf the clue. "Well done."

"That's what us Business Partners do best... counting cash!" confidently said Rowf before opening the clue.

"Travel by monorail to the Temporal Time," read out Ms. Mowz.

"The monorail station is only a few hundred metres away, let's hoof it!" said Rowf, and the two made their way out of the bus station.

(###)

"The Business Partners have finished the Detour," said Tayce T., as she saw them heading towards the exit.

"I don't want to nor I need to care," groaned Zess T, concentrating on her list of 7's and 3's. "Focus on the task on hand, Distrac T."

"That's not how the pun works," retorted Tayce T.

"I said, I don't want to nor I need to care."

* * *

**Velo City Monorail Station**

As the station clock tower began to chime twice, Rowf and Ms. Mowz were looking around the station for a ticket counter, but they couldn't find any at all.

"That's weird," said Rowf, scratching his head. "As crazy as it sounds, but is the fare... 100% subsidised for the public?"

"Don't be silly!" replied Ms. Mowz, almost ready to smack him with her paws. "We have to use those ticket machines over there!"

Ms. Mowz pointed to a row of machines with a chrome colour scheme, all equipped with a monitor with a touch screen.

"Phew!" Rowf brushed off a sweat in relief. "For a moment there, I was about to question the sanity of the city's government."

After some menu navigating, coin inserting and editing cuts, two tickets shot out of the machine slot.

"The monorail leaves at 2:30pm," said Ms Mowz, while looking at her ticket.

"That's in 20 minutes," Rowf commented while looking at his watch. "I'm hoping that the other Detour's giving the Millennium Alliance some trouble."

* * *

**Accel Avenue (Rally)**

"We're having no trouble at all!" Koopie Koo said to Lakilulu as Team Pink started to climb the hill up to Vector Park.

"This Detour seems to fall under the 'warm up' category," Frankly speculated. "Not that I'm complaining."

"Disruption parameters infinitesimal, optimal status achieved," stated Koopley, having a bit of fun.

"This is a cakewalk!" said GG Jr, emanating a positive aura. "What could possibly go wrong?"

The camera shows some construction workers putting traffic cones on one side of the road, effectively closing off half of the road.

"Way to tempt fate there, dawg," hissed King K. as GG Jr. let his jaw drop to the floor, figuratively.

* * *

**Velo City Bus Station (Tally)**

Tayce T. and Zess T. were at the supervisor's office, giving their answer to the supervisor for checking.

"If it's not 600 coins, you know what happens..." Zess T. warned Tayce T., leaving her to gulp in fear.

...

...

...

"Sorry, this is incorrect," the supervisor nodded in disapproval, handing them back their torn cookbook page.

Tayce T. began to brace herself for her punishment, knowing it wasn't dish-washing duty.

"Well, we'll try again then," said Zess T, calmly leaving the office and a confused Tayce T. behind.

"I thought you were going to punish me," Tayce T. questioned Zess T. at the workstation.

"Don't make me laugh," Zess T. laughed with a snort. "Seeing you cringe in fear is punishment enough."

"You have a weird sense of humour," Tayce T. said while cringing.

* * *

**Kinetic Crossroads**

Back at the crowded crossroads, three teams departed from their taxis and entered the crossroads from the west side.

**Red and Green - Brothers**

"Remember, it's red and yellow, as in me and not you!" Red shouted to Green above the crowd, talking about the race colours.

"Yeah, I especially heard the last part," Green shouted back.

**Sushie and Sashimie - Mother and Daughter**

"Let's be careful not to be road-kill, Mother." Sashimie called to Sushie, constantly dodging to avoid being trampled.

**Simon and Chanterelle - Musicians**

"The crowd is making me claustrophobic," complained Chanterelle, holding Simon's hand so that they couldn't be separated.

It took only a fraction of a second for the teams to find the businessman dressed in race colours, thanks to the power of editing.

******Red and Green - Currently in 8th Place**

"Detour, Tally or Rally?" read Red as he read out the clue.

"I know of an idiot who can't count to save his life, so we're doing Rally," smugly said Green.

**********Sushie and Sashimie - Currently in 9th Place**

"We're going for Tally," Sushie said to the camera on site. "Traffic is a very dangerous thing, no matter what form."

**************Simon and Chanterelle - Currently in 10th Place**

"We get to raise our own choir!" exclaimed Chanterelle, now holding both of Simon's hands. "My heart is filled with excitement!"

"So Rally it is," Simon happily confirmed.

The three teams left the crossroads, heading to their respective Detour tasks.

* * *

**Velo City Monorail Station **

**Rowf and Ms. Mowz - Business Partners**

"There's only 10 minutes left until the monorail departs," said Rowf to the camera on site. "Hopefully the other teams won't be able to make it, because the less competition for the Express Passes, the better."

* * *

**Accel Avenue (Rally)**

The camera shows the four groups at the hill, their group colours highlighted by the shirts and flags they bear. They were struggling against the never-ending torrent of people all coming down against them like a waterfall.

"We're not making any progress!" panicked Koopie Koo as Team Pink held its ground.

"Our Phalanx Position is crumbling!" wailed Goombella, as the relentless crowd pushed the rectangle formation into disarray.

"We're losing our men, Captain Koops!" called Koopley to Koops, as he saw some pairs being pushed downhill, waving their flags in panic.

"This is wack, man..." King K. said in disbelief, looking up at the massive stretch of hill that they had yet to ascend.

GG Jr. solemnly looked down at the ground, unable to say anything.

To be continued...


	4. A Bad Case of Déjà Flu - Part 3

**Temporary Author's Note: The place name 'Tempor of Time' is now changed to 'Temporal Time'. It was mentioned only once in the previous part, but I just had to let you know.**

**Velo City Monorail Station  
********Rowf and Ms. Mowz - Business Partners**

"There's only 10 minutes left until the monorail departs," said Rowf to the camera on site. "Hopefully the other teams won't be able to make it, because the less competition for the Express Passes, the better."

**Accel Avenue (Rally)**

The Millennium Alliance and their escorts were stranded on the hill to Vector Park, all barraged by hordes of people travelling downhill.

"It's becoming increasingly improbable that we'll meet the 5:00pm deadline at this rate," muttered Frankly, looking visibly exhausted.

"I think it's time to change our formation," said Goombella, as she thought up a plan.

Setting her plan into action, Goombella began to whisper something to one of her escorts, telling him to pass it on until it reached the other teams. As the gap between the teams were virtually none, the message spread like wildfire until everyone heard of it within an indescribable amount of time.

"I think I got the gist of it," King K. nodded with understanding.

"Anything to get out of this jam would be jammin'," said GG Jr., approving of the plan.

"Goombella's such a think tank today!" exclaimed Koopley with a cheerful smile.

"Frankly must be really proud to have an apprentice like her," said Koops as he looked at Goombella in admiration.

"The initiation's all up to you, Koopie!" Lakilulu winked to Koopie Koo.

"All right," said Koopie Koo with fiery determination. "Let's put Goombella's plan into motion!"

Lifting her head to the sky, facing the camera overhead her, she shouted skyward the very words:

"Now witness the TRUE POWER of the MILLENNIUM ALLIANCE!"

Sourcing their power from her words, the four groups of 40 began to join under a formation shaped like a canoe, pointed at both ends. The racers lined the border of the canoe with their arms outstretched, deterring the crowd from disrupting the formation.

The front (called the bow) cut the oncoming crowd into two, allowing the unit to advance at a breakneck pace.

"We're almost there!" called out Lakilulu to the unit as Vector Park came into view. Many arrow shaped sculptures were spread across the park along with the expected gardens and amenities.

"Keep going!" Koopie Koo encouraged, moving her head towards the hill as a motivating gesture.

With a final push, the entire length of the unit reached the top of the hill. Immediately after, the groups within the unit began to disperse as they headed towards the park, nearly knocking over the racers. After a brief recovery, they ran to the park to find Team Pink, Team Blue, Team Brown and Team Orange all assembled in their individual groups.

"We did it!" Goombella celebrated, and everyone began to celebrate with loud cheers, hugging and flag waving.

"That was epic!" shouted GG Jr. with both of his fists held high.

"The epicest level of epic, Double G!" added King K, giving GG Jr. a double high-five. 

"The teamwork and perseverance displayed back there was impeccable," Frankly said in awe.

"It goes to show the amazing potential of mankind," said Goombella, happily grinning.

"Leading 160 people through the most crowded street in the universe was something I'd never think of doing," Koopie Koo commented.

"Like we ever thought about that in the first place," joked Lakilulu. 

"This definitely puts the 'Amazing' into The Amazing Race," remarked Koopley.

"Now all that's left is to count the people," said Koops as the staff (hired by the Race) began to check the groups.

"After all that hard rallying, it'll be really disappointing if we didn't get it in the first go," said Koops in the post-leg interview.

* * *

**Velo City Bus Station**

**Mimi and Nastasia - Comrades**

"Here's our answer," said Nastasia, presenting their answer to the supervisor. "78 adults and 22 children, totalling up to 612 coins."

The supervisor checked their answer, confirmed that it was correct, and then gave them the clue.

"Thanks so much!" Mimi said with a wink, and she immediately ripped open the envelope.

**Mimi and Nastasia - Currently in 2nd Place**

"Travel by monorail to the Temporal Time," they both read out.

As they opened the door to exit the supervisor's office, Zess T. barged in with Tayce T. following behind, apologizing to the Comrades before showing her answer to the supervisor a second time.

(###)

"Where's the monorail station, Natty?" questioned Mimi as they headed back to the Kinetic Crossroads.

"That way," Nastasia pointed to a crossroad exit.

* * *

**Vector Park (Rally)**

After conducting their counts, the staff approached the Millennium Alliance... with big smiles, as all members had been accounted for.

"Yes!" the 4 teams shouted in some way or another, and the teams raised up another cheer.

The teams simultaneously received their next clue from the staff and ripped open their clues not so simultaneously.

"Travel by monorail to the Temporal Time," Lakilulu read the clue out aloud.

"We just passed the Monorail Station; it's actually on Accel Avenue," informed Goombella as she looked in the direction of the hill.

"At least we'll be going with the flow instead of against it," said GG Jr. "Let's go!"

As the Millennium Alliance left Vector Park with a sprint, they turned to wave goodbye to their escorts.

"Peace, yo!" shouted King K. to the groups, making a V sign.

* * *

**Velo City Monorail Station**

**Rowf and Ms. Mowz - Business Partners**

"It's nearly departure time, and we haven't seen any other teams," said Ms. Mowz to the camera as they were sitting inside the monorail train.

"Looks like we're going to be the only team on this," said Rowf, relaxing with his hands behind his head.

"Well, it looks like you spoke too soon Rowf," groaned Ms. Mowz while pointing outside to Mimi/Nastasia and Tayce T./Zess T., whom were waiting in line to board the monorail.

"Well, at least the Millennium Alliance isn't here," replied Rowf, saying 'Millennium Alliance' in a mocking tone.

**Accel Avenue (Rally)**

The Millennium Alliance were making their way towards the monorail station; running, dodging and empty space jumping much like their run at the airport. Along the way, they passed by Red/Green and Simon/Chanterelle, whom were leading Team Red and Team Violet respectively.

"Those must be the chumps from the first flight," uttered Red as he lead the pack from the front.

"Looks like they've finished up the Detour," said Green, bringing up the group rear.

"They seem to be in an awful hurry," remarked Chanterelle, leading her subgroup of twenty.

"Must be off to catch some mode of transport," said Simon, being in charge of the other subgroup.

**Velo City Monorail Station**

"Please-please-please, just go already," Rowf pleaded to the monorail train with a begging gesture.

"Well-well-well, look at who we have here," said Ms. Mowz, pointing to the Millennium Alliance as they rushed to the ticket machines, all in plain sight for the teams on board to spectate.

"Shoot! We're not gonna make it!" panicked GG Jr., constantly looking back and forth between the ticket checker and the monorail train.

"Faster! Insert the coins faster!" Koopie Koo urged Lakilulu.

After checking in the last few passengers, the ticket checkers were ready to leave so that the monorail could depart.

"Wait! Don't forget about us!" Goombella shouted at the ticket checkers, coming towards them at full speed.

The four teams rushed past the monorail window with tickets in their hands, and altogether disappeared from view. Through the monorail's walls and windows, their muffled shouts could be heard by the teams on board.

"That was too good!" laughed Zess T. with another snort. "If only I cooked some popcorn beforehand."

As the teams were literally centimetres away from the train, the doors slid shut with a woosh, nearly closing on someone's nose. The monorail train then swiftly departed from the station.

(###)

"Looks like they didn't make it," Tayce T. wistfully said.

"I beg to differ," Nastasia disagreed. "If they got left behind, we would've seen them."

"Then doesn't that mean they all made it on board?" replied Tayce T.

"I'm confused," said Mimi with her hands on the sides of her head. "Did they make it or not?"

(###)

"Looks like we all didn't make the cut," King K. snapped with his fingers while sitting on a bench behind a partition.

"I guess we have to wait for the next one," sighed Koops in disappointment.

"Until then, us four will have to stick it out," said GG Jr., trying to be optimistic. "Who's up for 8-way Rock-Paper-Scissors?"

* * *

**Kinetic Crossroads**

Stepping out of a taxi and entering the crossroads from the west side, Herringway and Pennington were discussing their task at hand.

"According to the clue, we have to look for someone wearing race colours," said Herringway as he held the clue in his flippers.

"Race colours, eh?" said Pennington, adjusting his newsboy hat. "They say red race cars are the fastest... and the start of a race is indicated by a green flag, and..."

"So you're suggesting Red and Green?" said Herringway, raising his bushy eyebrows. "Funnily enough, that's the name of a team. But you're overthinking it, Detective Pennington."

"Come again?"

"Detectives should look back at what they have learnt so far, " Herringway advised. "What they saw, what they heard, what they felt..."

"Hmm, let's see..." said Pennington in deep thought, thinking back to what he saw, heard, and felt so far. However, he couldn't help staring at the yellow and black clue envelope that Herringway was holding.

"Eureka!" Pennington shouted, his flipper pointed at the clue envelope. "That black and yellow envelope in your possession, that's what you're trying to guide me to! Ergo, the race colours are yellow and black!"

"Perhaps I wasn't being clear enough," Herringway muttered to himself.

While Herringway and Pennington were still discussing, the businessman dressed in red and yellow was walking along in the background. Herringway immediately took notice of him.

"Now we must be off to find the target with a Bee Suit colour palette!" announced Pennington, commencing his search through his magnifying glass.

"Over there!" Herringway pointed and ran towards the businessman.

"Are you daft?" Pennington called to Herringway. "That's the colour scheme of a family restaurant."

After a short while, Herringway returned back to Pennington with an unopened clue envelope. Pennington just stared at the clue in a long silence.

"If you already knew the colours, why not mention them so?" said Herringway. "Then we wouldn't have to waste so much time debating."

Herringway just ignored him and opened up the clue.

**Herringway and Pennington - Currently in Last Place**

"Detour... Tally or Rally," Herringway read the clue out aloud.

"We must conduct a critical analysis before making a decision," said Pennington, taking out a coin from his wallet.

"There's no time, let's do Tally," said Herringway as he made his way north.

"Ah yes, that was my choice from the very beginning," Pennington stated as he waddled after Herringway.

* * *

**Velo City Bus Station (Tally)**

Sushie and Sashimie had just finished checking all the tickets for their group. They were working at the workstation originally occupied by Rowf and Ms. Mowz.

"I got 18 adults and 33 children," Sashimie stated her figures to Sushie.

"I got 37 adults and 13 children," Sushie replied back.

"That adds up to 101..." Sashimie calculated in her head with astonishing speed. "Looks like we have to try again."

"My, that was amazingly fast," Sushie applauded at her calculating skills.

"I've got university education to back me up," said Sashimie, placing her flipper on her forehead.

"I'm a university graduate with a PhD in Panology, so not knowing simple math is no excuse for me," said Sashimie in the post leg interview.

"Panology is the study of everything," added Sushie, "Now I can say to everyone that my daughter knows everything, literally!"

"Mother tells me that she was doing everything back at the island, so you could say she's a panologist in a way," continued Sashimie.  


"I just don't have a fancy PhD to prove it!" laughed Sushie.

"So all in all, we're like the Jills of All Trades, master of none," shrugged Sashimie, and Sushie wrapped her fin around her.

"Bring on the second wave," confidently said Sashimie, elevating her swivel chair.

As the staff began to bring in the next group of passengers for Sushie and Sashimie, Herringway and Pennington entered through the Bus Station entrance.

* * *

******Accel Avenue (Rally)**

Meanwhile, Red/Green and Simon/Chanterelle were making good progress through the perpetually crowded avenue. Simon and Chanterelle were singing another vaguely familiar song in turns.

"Follow me..." Simon and his group sang.

"Set us free..." Chanterelle and her group continued.

"Trust us as we will get through Velo City..." everyone sang together.

(###)

"Can I lead now?" Green asked Red, being battered at the back of the bunch.

"Are you colour blind?" shouted Red from the front, and he pointed to their team dressed in red hats, shirts and pants. "Does this look like the colour green to you?"

"It would've been, if you moved your finger a millimetre to the right!"

"And I didn't, for a good reason," said Red, returning back the smugness Green had given him earlier.

Before Green could argue back, Team Red approached the hill leading to Vector Park. Construction work was still undergoing, meaning a mighty uphill battle was inevitable for the group.

"Oh man, this is going to suc...h extremes," Green groaned, putting his hand over his eyes.

* * *

**Velo City**

The camera flies overhead the monorail train, which was speeding through the city at a brisk pace. Sitting inside the last train car were , Tayce T./Zess T. and Mimi/Nastasia, all talking amongst themselves about various things.

"So let's talk about the Express Passes," Rowf said, interlocking his hands with his fingers and stretching them out.

Immediately, Zess T. retorted "If you want to extort us, you've got another thing coming!"

"Woah-woah-woah! Easy there, lady," Rowf tried to make peace. "I didn't mean to rustle any jimmies."

"Lady?" Zess T. took offence. "Show some respect for your elders!"

"Ms. T, please calm down," Nastasia said to ease the tension.

"My name is Zess T., not Misty!" Zess T. snapped back at her.

"Ms. Nastasia is right, Zess T.," Tayce T. "Staying calm is crucial in cooking. Especially when your oven's on fire."

Everyone except Zess T. began to look at Tayce T. with awkward looks. Meanwhile, after a bit of mulling over, Zess T. decided to calm down.

"Hmph, fine." she conceded, and she distanced herself from the teams.

"A sweet old lady she ain't," Rowf commented about Zess T. in the post leg interview.

"More like a crabby crabapple... in crab sauce." said Ms. Mowz, sticking her tongue out in disgust.

After the stink in the air had been cleared, Nastasia resumed the conversation about the Express Passes.

"So whoever wins this leg of the race gets two Express Passes, correct?" she said in a formal manner, like as if she was in a meeting.

"Correct," said Ms. Mowz. "But the second one has to be given to another team."

"In the unlikely situation of you winning the Express Pass, who would you give the Express Pass to?" Rowf questioned Mimi and Nastasia.

"Unlikely?" shouted Mimi, getting agitated. "Someone's full of himself!"

"Settle down, Mimi," Nastasia said to her warningly. "We don't want a repeat of what occurred a few minutes ago."

The camera pointed to Zess T. sitting in a corner, her arms crossed and her eyebrows crosser.

"Well if I wanted to settle down, I want to marry a rich prince and have 5 mansions!" Mimi daydreamed.

"This girl's got a screw loose," Rowf whispered to Ms. Mowz.

"Reconvening the discussion," Nastasia continued on, "It's still too early to tell who's trustworthy and deserving of an Express Pass."

"Well, we figured," shrugged Ms. Mowz. "Even we don't know who to give it to."

"How about you, Ms. Tayce T.?" Rowf tried to address Tayce T. properly.

"I'm in the same boat," Tayce T. replied.

"Oh well, we've still got four legs after this one to decide," said Rowf, looking outside the window. In the distance, he saw a large cathedral-like building, coloured with brown stone and white concrete.

"Well, may the best team win," said Rowf, standing up to give everyone a handshake. He even tried to give one to Zess T., but she just grumbled and looked away.

The camera showed the monorail train curving right towards the cathedral-like building, known as the Temporal Time.

* * *

**Velo City Bus Station (Tally)**

**Sushie and Sashimie - Mother and Daughter**

"So out of 68 adults and 32 children, the total fare is 572 coins," Sushie asked Sashimie for confirmation.

"That's right, I've already checked it several times over," said Sashimie, her brain cells firing like crazy.

"Good, because this chair is not ergonomically friendly to Cheep Cheeps," said Sushie as she jumped off the chair.

The two Cheep Cheeps approached the supervisor with their answer. It was correct, so the supervisor handed them their next clue.

"You have our thanks and gratitude," Sushie thanked the supervisor, and she ripped open the clue envelope outside of the office.

**Sushie and Sashimie - Currently in 8th Place**

"Travel by monorail to the Temporal Time," said Sushie as she read out the clue.

As Sushie and Sashimie were leaving the station, they passed by Herringway and Pennington, who were still in the ticket checking phase.

"The distinction between an adult and a child are ambiguous," said Pennington, fixating his gaze at the ticket holders passing by him.

"If I may say something," Herringway looked down at his monitor while talking, "is that a detective should consider all the tools at his disposal."

"You are correct, Detective Herringway," Pennington agreed, and he pulled out his magnifying glass to scrutinize the ticket holders in finer detail.

"Hm, not what I expected," said Herringway to himself, sighing in his mind. "But in the logical sense, he's isn't wrong in reaching that conclusion."

* * *

**Accel Avenue (Rally)**

Red/Green and Simon/Chanterelle were slowly making their way uphill, with Red/Green slightly ahead of Simon and Chanterelle.

"Air... I need air!" Green gasped with one hand clutching his throat and the other held up high.

"Altitude sickness, already? Man, you're pathetic," Red dismissed him, trying to act tough. In actuality, he was struggling and panicking for some breathing room as well.

(###)

"Like a canoe up a waterfall, we must keep paddling to the top!" Chanterelle said with high spirits.

"It may not be a music mannerism, but are we obliged to do so?" Simon shrugged to the camera with his hands outward.

* * *

**Velo City Monorail Station**

As the Monorail Station clock struck three o'clock, Sushie and Sashimie were hopping along the platform, each holding a ticket in their flippers. They were looking for a place to rest.

"The monorail departs at 3:30pm," said Sashimie as she checked out her ticket. "Once you've seen a hundred of these, spotting details come easy to you."

"Look, there's some teams over there!" Sushie pointed at them, sitting on benches beside a partition.

"My gosh, they're from the first flight!" Sashimie said in surprise, and the two hopped over to the teams like hyperactive pogo sticks.

(###)

"Hello Sushie and Sashimie!" the waiting teams greeted them in unison.

"Hey everyone!" the two greeted back.

"Congrats on catching up from the second flight," Koopley congratulated wholeheartedly.

"Oh, we were only 30 minutes behind," Sushie replied in modesty. "We closed the gap through sheer perseverance!"

"And we did our part by missing the monorail," said Koops, a little embarrassed.

"We missed the two-thirty by a sliver," said King K., making a tiny gap between his thumb and pointer fingers. "The gravy train left us as the plain mashed potatoes we are."

"Ouch, that burns," Sashimie sympathised with him.

"So now the four of us will have to tough it out until the next one," said GG Jr. "That's King K. and I, Koops and Koopley, and that's it."

* * *

**Temporal Time Station**

The monorail train began to slow down to a halt at the station, allowing the racers to head for their next destination, the Temporal Time.

**Rowf and Ms. Mowz - Business Partners**

"Off we go!" exclaimed Rowf, as the team ran through an expansive grass field.

**Mimi and Nastasia - Comrades**

"The next clue awaits!" said Mimi while skipping through the short grass.

**Tayce T. and Zess T. - Cooks**

"We're finally free from that blasted crowd!" shouted Zess T. to the gentle breeze.

"Running through a grass field is the true definition of freedom," said Tayce T.

(###)

The camera cuts to the front car of the monorail. As the doors slid open, two teams ran out of the station and through the grassy field.

**Koopie Koo and Lakilulu - Best Friends**

"Now it's up to us to claim those Express Passes!" Lakilulu said as she ran alongside Koopie Koo.

"This is for you, Koops!" shouted Koopie Koo, putting her hand to her chest. "And for the entire Millennium Alliance!"

**Goombella and Frankly - Archeologists**

"Looks like they were unaware of our presence," Frankly commented about the teams up ahead.

"I can't to see the looks on their faces when we show up," said Goombella with a sly grin.

* * *

**Temporal Time** **Entrance **

"Look, there's a Hazard for Red and Green," Ms. Mowz pointed a large, triangular sign with an exclamation mark on it. A picture of Red and Green was placed underneath it, and they were making funny faces like the ones you do to babies.

"So that's the penalty they get for being last at the starting challenge," said Rowf as he took out a clue from the clue box. "What utter chumps."

**Rowf and Ms. Mowz - Currently in 1st Place**

As Rowf ripped open the clue envelope, he took out a red leaflet with a prohibition sign on it.

"RoadBlock, who has their instincts in sync?" Rowf read out.

_The camera focuses on Kooper, who was standing inside the Temporal Time building. In the background, a large clock (known as the Master Clock) dwarfed him in size, inscribed with unrecognisable symbols. _

_"One of the essential components of Velo City's inner workings is the notion of time," he said as the camera zoomed out to reveal two walls of clocks on each side of the Master Clock._

_"In this RoadBlock, the volunteering team member must search among hundreds of clocks to find one that is in perfect sync with the Master Clock. When they present the correct clock to the timekeeper, they will receive their next clue."_

"Watch me clock this RoadBlock in no time flat!" confidently said Rowf as he opened the doors and entered the building.

"Oh brother," Ms. Mowz said with an eyeroll in reaction to his puns.

**Mimi and Nastasia - Currently in 2nd Place**

"It's my time to shine!" said Mimi to the camera, spinning around and making a pose.

**Tayce T. and Zess T. - Currently in 3rd Place**

"Bah, I'll do this," grumbled Zess T.

So Rowf, Mimi and Zess T. entered through the front door of the building, while Ms. Mowz, Nastasia and Tayce T. went through the east entrance, where the waiting area was located. By the time the Millennium Alliance arrived at the entrance, the grounds were deserted.

**Koopie Koo and Lakilulu - Currently in 4th Place**

"I'll do this one," said Koopie Koo, getting serious all of a sudden. "For the sake of the Millennium Alliance."

**Goombella and Frankly - Currently in 5th Place**

"Allow me to volunteer," said Frankly to Goombella. "I want to contribute my part to the team."

With a goodbye wave, the teams split up and went to their respective areas.

* * *

**Temporal Time Interior**

As the 5 R-Blockers enter the Temporal Time building, all of them were astounded by the aesthetics. From the clean and chequered stone flooring to the uniquely shaped archways that separated the main room from the hallway that lead to the east and west wings, to the ancient but functional Master Clock, which stood at the back, full of authority. The only detractors were the two walls of clocks on the sides of the building; the left side was full of analog clocks created in different time periods and the right side was full of digital clocks with lit up displays.

"It's really quite pretty," said Mimi, her eyes sparkling.

"Eh... Quite decent." admitted Zess T.

"A marvel of a bygone era," Frankly whispered softly to himself.

"A cathedral dedicated to clocks..." Koopie Koo said in a low voice. "So weird... yet so beautiful."

After seeing everything the Temporal Time had to offer, Rowf was ready to start the RoadBlock.

"I think now's the time to get clockin'," Rowf said to Mimi and Zess T., unaware of Koopie Koo and Frankly.

So the five R-Blockers ran to the walls of clocks, with Rowf, Mimi and Zess T. at the Analog side and Koopie Koo and Frankly at the Digital side, checking their clock's times against the Master Clock's.

* * *

**Velo City Bus Station (Tally)**

"I prefer using my own intuition rather than to rely on technological devices," said Pennington to Herringway, making their way to the supervisor's office for their second attempt.

"As an old-fashioned detective, I agree," Herringway nodded. "But technology has something we don't have... precision."

Arriving at the office, Herringway gave their answer to the supervisor. (Their figure came to 564 coins, consisting of 66 adults and 34 children.)

"It's correct," the supervisor approved with a nod. "Well done."

"You're not exactly adept at word play, aren't you?" Pennington said to the supervisor while Herringway ripped open the clue.

**Herringway and Pennington - Currently in 9th Place**

"Travel by monorail to the Temporal Time," Herringway read out.

"The Mystery of the Cumulative Passenger Fare... solved!" said Pennington as he and Herringway made their exit.

* * *

**Vector Park (Rally)**

Red/Green and Simon/Chanterelle were now awaiting the staff to count up the their team members.

"I hope I never go back there again," sighed Green, collapsed on a bench. "Not once, not twice, not ever."

"Come now, it wasn't so bad," Simon said to him from another nearby bench.

"I think it's the attitude that you use that plays a role," Chanterelle added to the conversation.

"You heard them," said Red to Green, standing up from his bench. "It's the attitude that counts."

Green just ignored him and rolled over to face away from everyone.

From the distance, the staff beckoned for the teams to come over to hear their evaluation.

(###)

"Congratulations," the staff members said to Simon and Chanterelle. "All members have been accounted for."

"Delightful!" Chanterelle said in contentment.

**Simon and Chanterelle - Currently in 10th Place **

"Travel by monorail to the Temporal Time," Simon read the clue out loud.

"Best of luck," Chanterelle called out to Red and Green, while they made their leave.

(###)

"You're missing one person," the staff members frowned at Red and Green. "We can't give you the clue until you bring in the last person."

Red and Green just froze on the spot in disbelief, unable to say anything. Cue Cardboard Cut-out Mode.

* * *

**Velo City Monorail Station**

"The monorail departs in 10 minutes," Koops said to the camera, newly accompanied by the Detectives and the Musicians.

"The only team we've haven't seen are the Koopa Bros.," said Sashimie. "If they don't catch this one, they'll have to catch the 4:30 one."

"Assuming so, there's a 99% probability that they'll be penalised," sternly said Pennington.

"Or just eliminated altogether," shrugged GG Jr.

**Accel Avenue (Rally)**

"HOW DID YOU MANAGE TO SCREW THIS UP!" Red yelled at Green while they made their way downhill, searching for the straggler.

"YOU'RE THE LEADER, SO YOU TAKE FULL RESPONSIBILITY!" Green yelled back.

"YOU WERE AT THE BACK; YOU HAD YOUR CHANCE TO STOP HIM!" Red argued, taking another line of attack.

They were yelling back and forth between each other until they couldn't yell any more.

"You know what, we're done," said Red, swinging his arms outwards as a gesture for giving up. "Stick a fork in us, we're done. And it's all your fault, Green."

The camera showed Red and Green trudging down the hill, with the crowd as densely packed as ever.

To be continued...


End file.
